Air pipe for ice cans



J. A. MARTOCELLQ AIR PIPE FOR ICE CANS Filed May 17. 192) Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH A. MARTOCELLO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR PIPE FOR ICE CANS.

Application filed May 17,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr A. Mauro- CELLO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Air Pipe for Ice Cans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circulation pipes for ice cans, in which air is driven down into the can to keep the water in circulation during, the freezing of the can, so that the impurities of the water will be driven toward the center from which they may be withdrawn or where they will be collected in a small portion of the ice if not removed.

The purpose of my invention is to avoid stoppage of air circulation from foreign matter accumulated within the pipe.

A further purpose is to restrict the upper end of the pipe with respect to the lower end, so that any dirt or foreign matter entering the top may be shoved through restriction readily and will not further clog the pipe.

A further purpose is to restrict the upper end of the pipe and to provide an outlet opening of greater cross section than the cross section at the restriction so that whatever passes the restriction will be driven out freely.

A further purpose is to extend an attached circulation pipe to the bottom of the tank and give side air escape therefrom.

A further purpose is to strengthen the upper end of the air pipe against splitting when the air connection is inserted.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but one form thereof, selecting a form which has been found tobe practical, efficient and inexpensive and which at the same time well illustrates the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and sectioned, showing the preferred form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a section upon line 22 of Figure 1.

In ice cans where the air tube is permanently fastened within the tube, dirt, grit and, other foreign matter settle or are forced into the top of the tube. here the tube is of uniform diameter, this dirt and grit must be forced throughout the length of the 1921. Serial no. 470,439.

tube to clear the passage. This is difficult and unsatisfactory. Even where the tube is temporarily cleared, an accumulation of dirt is likely to remain along the side of the tube, which settles downin the tube when the wire cleaner is removed and blocks the tube even after it is supposed to have been fully cleaned. My invention is directed mainly toward relief from this objection.

The tube 5 is soldered or otherwise secured in any convenient position within the can 6. I prefer to place the tube in the corner, extend it to the bottom at 7 and have side opening above the bottom at 8, so that there will be no interference from the tube with withdrawal of the cake of ice from the can.

In order to prevent interference of foreign matter with the air passage, I restrict the passage at the upper end 9 so that this portion only need be cleaned and any matter which will pass through therestricted passage will find plenty of space in the tube below. Because of the restriction, a small quantity only of matter will pass through into the tube and there will be no such accumulation as will interfere with free air passage.

In order to still further protect, the air outlet, whether at the side or end of the tube, is made preferably materially larger in section than the restricted passage 10 of the mouth piece, so that anything which can be forced through the restricted inlet can pass freely out of the side opening.

In order to control the size of the inlet conveniently and at the same time to reinforce the upper end of the tube against the bursting strain of the tapered air connection nozzle 11, I insert a thimble or sleeve 12 whose lower end 13 fits properly within the upper end of the tube and whose upper end 14 is tapered to correspond with the nozzle and is made much stronger or of heavier walls than are necessary for the body of the tube. The upper end of the tube can be relieved from excessive top. strain from this thimble by extending the thimble reasonably into the tube and the thimble may be retained therein reinovably by the tightness of its fit or by soldering or other convenient fastening. The portion within the tube is of smaller internal cross section than that of any part of the tube to provide a restricted passage as shown in the lower part of the thimble or sleeve.

The can, tube and air connections are intended to be shown conventionally.

In operation, the air supply pipe 15 is connected by fitting l6, flexible pipe 17 and nozzle 11 with the top of the sleeve M to admit air to this can, along with a considera ble number of other cans together. The air passes down through the sleeve or thimblc into the pipe 5 and out through the side opening 8, stirring the water in the can. The side discharge is useful for itself as well as in the combinations indicated.

The portion of the tube below the opening 8 forms a receiver for any matter which passes into the tube until this matter fills it up to the opening 8. After the nozzle 11 is removed and the can is set aside, any foreign matter which passes into the opening at the top of the sleeve will normally lie there and not pass through the small opening 10. When the can is again to be used, the passage 10 is cleaned by the use of a wire, dropping the foreign matter therein into the tube and this foreign matter is blown out with the first blast of air. Even if stoppage at the opening 8 should occur it can be cleaned very readily because of its entire accessibility, as distinguished from the difficulty of cleaning the entire length of the pipe 5.

In View of my disclosure herein other forms of practicing my invention will obviously occur to those skilled in the art, better suited to the particular use intended by the designer or suiting merely his whim or preference, or for the purpose of appropriating my invention while attempting to escape from my claims; and it is my urpose to. include herein all such variations of my invention, whether securing the advantage of the invention entirely or not, as come within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An ice can, in combination with a circulation tube therefor, peri'i'iancntly attached to the can, and an insert for the tube fitting within the upper end of the tube, having a smaller cross section of opening than the tube to reduce the air feed and keep large particles of foreign matter out of the main tube by this smaller cross section and at its upper end internally tapered to receive an air supply nozzle.

2. An ice can, in combination with a circulation tube therefor, permanently attached to the can, and an insert for the tube fitting into the upper end of the tube, having a smaller cross section of opening than the tube to reduce the air feed and keep large particles of foreign matter out of the main tube, at its upper end internally tapered to receive an air supply nozzle and thickened in the tapered section to give additional strength for this air supply nozzle connection.

3. An air circulation pipe for ice cans having a mouth piece inserted in the upper end thereof to provide icstricted cross-section at this end and thickened and flared at the mouth piece to receive and fit an airsupply nozzle.

4. An air supply pipe for ice cans, comprising a tube of substantially uniform cross-section having an opening in its side near the bottom thereof, in combination with a sleeve in the upper end of the pipe providing a restriction of crom-sectional opening to less than that of the body of the pipe and to less than that of the discharge opening, and having an interiorly tapened mouth piece for insertion of the air supply nozzle and of greater strength than the pipe.

JOSEPH A. MARTOCELLO. 

